The Mike Thakur Podcast

In this episode, Mike Thakur sits down with entrepreneur and coach JT Tapias to unpack one of the most common and damaging misconceptions Christian entrepreneurs face: the idea that serving God means walking away from business.

JT shares his remarkable journey—from growing up around organized crime, achieving success at a young age, and selling a thriving business because he believed God wanted him in “real ministry.” What followed was a season of confusion, loss, and ultimately deep clarity about how God actually works through business.

This conversation speaks directly to faith-driven entrepreneurs wrestling with ambition, obedience, calling, and burnout—and why business is often not a distraction from God’s purpose, but the very place He intends to use you most.

If you’ve ever questioned whether your work matters to God, this episode will bring both conviction and freedom.

In This Episode:
The biggest lie Christian entrepreneurs believe about ministry
Why quitting business for “full-time ministry” is often a mistake
JT’s decision to sell his business for $25K and what it taught him
How business can be a powerful mission field
Why burnout happens when work loses its sense of mission
How to serve God faithfully without leaving the marketplace

Connect with JT Tapias:
Instagram: @coachjt.tapias
Program: Empty Your Bucket Nutrition Plan Website: https://eybplan.com

Connect with Mike Thakur:
Instagram: @realmikethakur
Website: https://mikethakur.com

In today’s episode, Mike sits down with author and unity-builder Philip Ryle for a powerful conversation about what’s missing in the modern church—and what God is inviting us back into.
Philip shares the heart behind his book Dear Unity, a collection of love letters calling believers, pastors, and entire denominations toward something deeper than agreement: authentic, sacrificial, relational unity.
Together, Mike and Philip unpack the “70/30 Rule”—the idea that Christians have agreed on 70% of the faith for nearly 1,700 years… and maybe the remaining 30% is where God teaches us to love each other unconditionally.
This isn’t just about denominations. It’s about you and me. Unity in our homes, workplaces, friendships, and churches—and why it matters more now than ever.
If you’ve ever felt the tension between loving people and disagreeing with them, this episode will resonate deeply.

💬 In This Episode We Cover:
Why God may have designed us to be incomplete without one another
How unity unlocks strategy, blessing, and spiritual multiplication
The danger of rushing toward “agreement” instead of building relationship
Why other global movements are winning at unity—and what Christians can learn
The role of humility, curiosity, and repentance in healing the Body of Christ
How to move the Church from deliberation to celebration
The connection between the Trinity and the way humans are wired for community
Why unity is the red carpet to global evangelization
How everyday believers—not just leaders—can spark a unity movement

🔥 Why This Episode Matters
We’re living in a world uniting around the wrong things while the Church remains divided over things that were never meant to define us.
This conversation invites us to rethink what unity truly is—and how God might be calling us into something bigger, braver, and more beautiful.

📚 Connect with Philip
Website: dearunity.com
Instagram: @dearunity
Email: philip@dearunity.com
🤝 Connect with Mike
Instagram: @realmikethakur
Website: mikethakur.com

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Entrepreneurship can be one of the loneliest callings—especially when your business is built on faith. In this powerful conversation, Mike Thakur sits down with Dan Romer, pastor, coach, and founder of Goshenites, to talk about what it really looks like to follow God when no one else understands your calling.
They dive deep into: 💡 Why so many Kingdom entrepreneurs feel isolated 🌱 How to sow into relationships and find genuine community 🔥 What it means to encourage yourself in the Lord when things get hard 💼 The balance between ministry and marketplace calling ❤️ And how God uses loneliness to refine, realign, and remind us that He’s still with us
If you’ve ever felt unseen in your purpose, this episode will remind you that you’re not alone—and that isolation might just be the place where your faith grows deepest.
Connect with Dan Romer: 👉 goshenites.com 👉 Instagram: @dan_romer
Connect with Mike: 🎥 @MikeThakur 💡 WorkLodge.com

Janice Armstrong’s story is a masterclass in hope, obedience, and supernatural acceleration. After a decade battling illness, fear, and comparison, Janice wrote the vision, fought through spiritual warfare, and experienced deliverance—then watched God do in 90 days what others took years to build: explosive growth on social media and doors to minister to millions. In this raw conversation, she shares the exact moments that shifted everything, why “write the vision” is more than a verse, and how partnering with the Holy Spirit can rewire your mind and your life.

🔑 What You’ll Learn
Writing God’s vision vs. chasing your own (Habakkuk 2)
Deliverance from fear and the breakthrough that followed
“90 Days vs. 10 Years”: what acceleration looked like in real life
Neuroplasticity + spiritual authority: practical tools to renew your mind
Why social media is today’s “town square” for the gospel
How to bless those who curse you—and actually get free

📲 Connect
Host: Mike Thakur — Instagram: @mikethakur
Guest: Janice Armstrong — Instagram: @IAmJaniceArmstrong

If you’ve been waiting on a promise, this episode will remind you: it’s not too late—and God’s timeline is different than yours.

What happens when you build a business with mission before money? In this episode, Mike sits down with Scott Gates, co-founder and CEO of Awake Window & Door, to share how he grew a luxury window and door company from $0 to $30 million in sales—by hiring men and women that most businesses wouldn’t even consider: the formerly incarcerated.

Scott reveals how God laid a mission on his heart, why he walked away from corporate success to start over, and the incredible impact of second-chance employment. From the struggles of leaving a comfortable CEO role, to the risks of starting a business built around ex-convicts, to the joy of watching lives redeemed through work and dignity—this story is proof that entrepreneurship can be one of the most powerful tools for Kingdom impact.

If you’ve ever wondered how faith and business can collide to change lives, this episode will challenge you to rethink what success really means.

🔑 Key Topics
Why Scott left a thriving corporate career to start over from scratch
How a $30M business was built by giving second chances
The connection between foster care, prison, and broken systems
Why soup kitchens and handouts aren’t enough—and why sustainable work is the answer
How mission-driven businesses attract the best talent
Why the marketplace—not just the church—is the greatest place for ministry

📲 Connect with Mike Thakur
Instagram: @realmikethakur
Website: MikeThakur.com

📲 Connect with Scott Gates
Website: awakewdc.com
Instagram: @awakewdc